Pizzaiolo
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
19 reviews
Richmond, CA
"Another adorable little gem in Richmond. It's in a house like building which adds to the coziness. The food is excellent and so is the…" read more »
284 Reviews for Pizzaiolo
Went here again yesterday and what a disappointment. Staff still so-so on service, but their menu has gone from selective to slim. Not really much for dinner items, but a lot of pizzas. All of us in our party expressed how it used to be great and that maybe they lost their chef? I don't know, but we left hungry which is bothersome when you spend a lot of money on food.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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07/03/2008
If they are busy and you don't have a reservation forget it. The hostess is not very friendly, but… Read more »
sooooooo freakin good, if you got that kinda scrizatch layin' around....YA HEARD!
I go for breakfast, blue bottle and pastries and excellent blue chair jam. keep it blue yo!
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With an amazing roasted squid salad and a perfect cauliflower pasta, my first meal at Pizzaiolo was 5 stars. The next meal was a bit of a disaster. Writing it off as just a bad night, I kept coming back. But after half a dozen mediocre meals including last night's, I think I'm throwing in the towel. My final conclusion is that while the food can be decent here, it's not consistently good. And the service can be spotty and pretentious. And it's pricey.
Last night, we arrived for dinner at 6 pm and although there were plenty of seats around, we were seated at the one table with the evening sun directly on it. It was a very hot day so we asked for a table away from the sun and our hostess seemed clearly irritated. As retribution perhaps, she walked us past several empty tables in the front room and sat us in the very back near the restrooms, threw the menu down and left. Whatever.
I have to note that our server was a great force and was very helpful in ordering the wine and the food. He was the high point of our experience.
We started with the caesar salad made of little gem lettuces. I do love little gems but I am a strong believer that caesar salad should always be made with crisp romaine hearts. The salad was not crisp nor cold and the dressing was just okay. There was one large oddly shaped clump of a crouton which made me question whether the croutons were home made.
Next came the roasted sardines which I found to be rather bland and on the fishy side.
Pasta alla Norma is essentially spaghetti with caponata. While it was flavorful, I was a little disheartened by the very large pool of oil the whole thing was sitting in.
The squid and tomato pizza was not really pizza but a sauceless flatbread with squid and tomato sprinkled on it. Again, it was okay.
All my previous meals with the exception to the first meal left me with a similar feeling of disappointment.
Would I return? Maybe if it's chosen by my dining companions but I will not be the one to suggest it again.
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Really quite fabulous. I had the most amazing fish stew there last time, and am fixin' on having it again next Tue! Yes, it's expensive and difficult to get in, but worth it! You can always grab a brownie @ Bakesale Betty's while you wait!
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I think the problem everyone has with Pizziola is that it is a big force, and a big target. If you want to eat cheap you can find reasonable things on they're menu. If you want a great deal order an Amazonas calzone you wont even have to leave your house. This restaurant specializes in locally grown organic or sustainable products, ambiance, and good food knowledge. These guys employ the best talent they can find in a world where trained cooks are hard to find. The food here is fantastic. There is also a lot of hype about this restaurant. Come here with a realistic approach to dining and a willingness to spend some money to have fun.
I love this place. If you're not used to really authentic Italian pizza it may seem a little too thin, not cheesy enough for you but it is still delicious and the salads and appetizers are to die for! I love sitting out back amongst the olive trees and sipping wine while the kids play bocce ball on a warm summer's evening. Ahhh.
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Not exactly the transcendent experience the rave reviews led me to believe I would experience. The crust was nearly perfect, and came very close to matching the perfection of New York's Lombardi's. Unfortunately they seem to have missed the point that a pizza should have stuff on top. There was a good 1 1/2 inches of crust extending past the topping, and there wasn't nearly enough cheese for my liking. Appetizers were the highlight, with some very delicious sardines, and a great avocado & beet salad. I like the pizza at Zza's much more, even though their crust isn't quite as perfect.
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OK... saw the lines outside, read all the hype, tried it out.
Nice atmosphere, very romantic inside.
The food? Meh. The crust wasn't crisp enough. the toppings were bland. There was just nothing to get excited about, especially at the price. Menu seemed too limited.
Maybe I was expecting too much, but definitely would not go back. If I'm gonna splurge, I want a pizza that's gonna give me an 'O' face. (Chez Panisse cafe, Arizmendi, Zachary's, Jupiter...)
-Mort
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I have no idea why this place has any good reviews. Must be the trendy, hip association with Chez Panisse and the whole "local food" movement. I like local food too, I shop at the Alemany Farmers market every Saturday (not the "faux" famers markets @ the Ferry Building, Noe Valley & elsewhere) but that said, local produce or not, can't they even make a decent pizza? The crust and sauce were terrible. Everything was salty and every pizza has a "flaked chile-oil" base or something in the sauce. There were 6 of us (all women, so none of us are big he-man eaters), we ordered 3 different pizzas and each one was over-spiced.
We also played the "where's the toppings, sauce and cheese?" game.
Granted, I'm spoiled, I grew up near New Haven, CT where Sally's, Pepe's and the original "apizza" style is better than anything you'll ever get in NY, Chicago or anywhere else, so it's hard for me to find anything decent in the Bay Area, but this was just abominable for the prices they are charging.
Yes, the wine pours were chintzy for the prices. We waited 45 mins for a table on a Tues night. It took 40 mins from the time we ordered our pizza until they delivered it. Of course they kept trying to sell us more beer and wine (my Aunt owns a restaurant, I know what they make their $$ on) If your pizza oven is too small, then maybe you shouldn't be in the pizza business.
I actually felt bad for our server, Chaya, she was very nice, it's not her fault the product is sub-standard and the prices are too high.
With 6 people and 3 pizzas, we each had 3 VERY SMALL slices, definitely not enough for hungry people. Total for 3 pizzas, 2 beers and 5 glasses of wine (one person caved and ordered a second glass) came to $22 per person (w/tax and tip.) This is ridiculously overpriced for bad pizza, I could go to my local pizza place, get BIG slice of pizza that is equal to the 3 minuscule pieces and pay $4, throw in a $5 beer and I'm out the door for $10, not $22.
Don't go here, don't perpetuate the myth.
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Finally got to to dine here and beat the crowd on a Tues. Nice place and with reservations taking up the main dining room, we opted for the outside patio. We had a pizza and pasta and the pizza was good, but on the gourmet pizza tip - I still kinda like Pizzeria Delfina better. Service was A+.
I'm live in the hood so I probably be back eventually.
love how fresh, organic, local and homemade tasting their food really is.
it always seems the dishes contain just one ingredient i dislike though....
i wish the staff could step it up to match the food & space with better customer service.
This place never disappoints! Great food, great wine, great service, great for a date, great for friends, hip decor, I could go on and on...
I have been a dozen times and was only bummed out once when my friends insisted on ordering a hodge podge of pizzas none of which contained a drop of tomato sauce. Let's call it flat bread then, guys. I had already stuffed myself silly with the delicious acme bread that arrived earlier and was looking forward to a real pizza experience.
Also, several of the pizzas don't claim to contain onions on the menu but are actually splattered with them. Red ones. I had to watch my picky- princess husband pick them out one by one until our sassy waiter seized it and replaced it with an onion-free version. "I thought you could handle this," he said. "But It's clear that you can't." Wonderful!
Nonetheless, I really have nothing bad to say about this restaurant and award bonus points for their coffee/toast and jam offering during the daytime hours.
Lordy lordy, Mrs Cheesemonger and I are certainly late to the party; we went to Pizzaiolo for the first time the other night!! And here's their review #260.
And while it wasn't the ne plus ultra of Italian food, it was very very very good. I especially liked their ragu with pasta, and Mrs Cheesemonger was gaga for the fava toasts (we both appreciate how eating anything with Favas is a labor of love - the effort that goes into peeling each one will never equal what is charged for them!!)
Service was attentive, the cocktails were fabulous, the pizza was crisp and thin, and they played very good music (old Kinks, Brian Eno, and the Talking Heads). If it weren't for the lack of air conditioning, the Cheesemongers would've thought they were at home.
I had a question about a cocktail recipe (yes I am that much of a twerp) and the bar manager came over and discussed percentages, brands and techniques.
Nice folks, great food, and it's now on the list of Cheesemonger approved restaurants.
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Sadly, we did not get a good first impression on the place based on our experience with the hostess. She acted as if she couldn't be bothered with us. I ran into another group of friends there on that particular night, and they had the same experience with the hostess. That was disappointing.
The waiter was great though! He seemed to know the menu inside and out, even threw in a little bit of history in there about pizzas. We tried the New Haven style clam pizza and it was delicious. I especially love the thin crust on their pizzas. We also tried the chicken liver crostini, which I really liked.
It's worth the trip, but make sure you make a reservation, otherwise, you'll be there for a while.
It was so close to the perfect meal... except we ordered the wrong pizza.
My husband and I got soooo lucky that night too.
We decide to try the restaurant, spur of the moment at 6:30pm. Looking for parking, I drop off my husband to put our name down on the list... patio or bar seating available only. I go around and find the perfect space, right in front of the restaurant... karma... There is crowd in the entry way but our name is in. We order a drink, thinking the wait would be around 40 minute... As we are ordering the drinks, the host is now turning away patrons... no more to add to the wait-list. Whew, we just got in... karma... We barely sit down on the outside bench when they call our name. They had a cancellation.... karma...
We sit, we shared the beet salad... Oh goodness, that was such a great salad... beets and halibut... Yes it was sooo yummy. Then we shared the gnocchi in pork ragu. Thank goodness we didn't make a fool of ourselves because we almost licked the bowl. Then we decided to try the Rapini and Panchetta Pizza (we wanted to try something new, instead of our better judgement to order the Margherita). Uh, it was so-so....
The table next to us ordered the Margherita... it looked delicious. They even offered us a piece but we were polite (unusually) and turned it down... boo-hoo.
We topped it all off with dessert... this upscale version of strawberry shortcake made us forget about the pizza.
Well, almost a perfect meal is better than a-ok... right?
I came here with a big group and we were all treated to dinner complete with wine, many pizzas, and desserts, so I couldn't help but leave this place soaring in a blissful food coma. Since I didn't have to pay $16/pizza, they all tasted great. Nettle pizza was a highlight, and if you like "making it rain" with your wallet, throw in a poached egg, its a truly delicious experience. I loved the thinness of the crust, and puffiness and chewiness of the edges. The deserts, esp the fruit sorbets, were all very delicate, a nice end to a great meal.
mmmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmmm Nettle pizza.
Ok - some of you might think this is a weird - and, well, it is. But if you haven't tried nettles crisped to perfection in a wood burning oven - well, dear sir, you haven't lived.
Get your buns down to this down home, neighborhood favorite in the freshly gentrifide "Temescal District" of North Oakland. When I lived there it was just North Oakland, and a little too close to the 'hood - hence cheap rent. Now it's swanky yet funky in all the right ways - except for all the yuppies buying 2 bedroom fixer uppers for a half a mil...
Owner Charlie is a hoot and a good guy with an evolved world-view. Love the place, the food, and the 'hood.
Let's start this off by saying, I love pizza. In case you didn't hear me the first time, I LOVE PIZZA. And I came from NYC, where the pizza is damn good.
The next thing I'm gonna say is, I love runny eggs. Boiled eggs, I do not eat. Scrambled eggs, I scoff at. Runny eggs, I love.
So putting a runny egg on a pizza was nothing short of amazing for my confused, but pleasantly surprised brain and taste buds - Am I eating a thin crust sardine pizza or a runny egg breakfast? It is both and it is good. I also had a pizza with arugula + prosciutto on it - I've had salad-on-pizza before, but This one was particularly good. I also love prosciutto.
Their fare other than the pizza is also excellent. I had once this beet and asparagus salad - which I LOVED, despite my hatred for asparagus. (Why did I order it, you might ask... it's b/c I love beets. Can you imagine my frustration in deciding to get that appetizer??? But oh the joy when I tasted the asparagus!) I've had a lot of their appetizers. All delicious. If you can convince me to enjoy eating asparagus (did you know it makes your pee smell?) then it's exceedingly good.
It lacks one star for service... service is quick/standard, but a bit snooty. I live in this 'hood, no need to give me 'tude by not making eye contact with me and such. I know they're busy, but we were rushed out on one occasion. On another, I had a sprained knee so I had a leg brace on to keep my leg straight. The waitress stepped on my foot or kicked it everytime she came by. She'd apologize, but come on... I made a reservation specifically requesting a booth to avoid this problem from its customers, not its staff.
I'll still come back b/c I'm way more stomach than I am heart. I will bike there to justify all the tasty tasty fattening calories and remember to keep my feet tucked in at all times. Maybe I will even wear my "artsy" glasses to look hipper and fit in.
I would like to preface this review by pointing out that I have zero Yelp friends, which probably explains many deep and profound things about me, particularly why I am in the minority here when I say I am totally confused by the hype over this restaurant.
Yes, it's true there aren't as many quality restaurants in Oakland as there should be. And I'm all bout-y bout-y for supporting Oakland restaurants, but I would appreciate it if my $16, 6-inch pizza didn't come to me burnt after a 30-minute wait to be seated, followed by another hour-and-a-half wait after placing our order.
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I tried this place for a going away party so our group was pretty large. That being said, the service was impeccable.
We tried a whole bunch of the pizzas and all of them were fabulous. The margherita and the clam were simply outstanding with a nice thin crust. The grapefruit salad and the desserts were great too, although the menu changes daily. The wines and drinks were also amazing and poured generously.
If it's a nice night, you can request the back patio seating as well. Come here for a nice dinner with friends have salads and share a pizza... you'll be glad you did.
Based on my first visit, I would have given Pizzaiolo 5 starts. I was truly amazed by their eggplant pizza, which was on the menu some time last year. However, last weekend, my man instisted on the sausage pizza. Reluctantly, I agreed. Oh, what a mistake. I was so disappointed. Half the pizza was totally burnt on the bottom; the rest was just dough. And trust me, I know a good pizza. I could have made it better myself. This was a flop :-(
Hopefully I can update this review another time.
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If Arnold and Christel hadn't already initiated me into the sublimeness of Pizzeria Mozza and Pizzeria Pico, I'd be raving more about Pizzaiolo. Damn it. I knew Pizzeria Mozza would ruin me...and it's so far away.
However, Pizzaiolo was the scene of my introduction to Burrata, that wonderful mozzarella cream concoction which makes me wish I was Italian. It's a nice sizable portion, sizable enough that Pizzaiolo should serve more toast with it.
We also had the gnocchi with lamb. Very fluffy gnocchi. Delightful.
For the pizza, we had one with long-cooked greens and sausage and a margherita with anchovies and egg. Both were slightly bland, oddly enough, and not exciting enough to the palate. Overall, I preferred the margherita, although it could have used about two more eggs. The crust is really excellent on the pizzas here, though.
Service is congenial, friendly and casual. Oh, I also had the cardamom gimlet. Nice and refreshing when eating too much.
Good enough place if you don't want to make an expedition to Larkspur or L.A., but just not ranking as high in my food memory bank.
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Been there twice and found the food enjoyable but the place was a yuppie scene and it took a while to get in. I might return when the fad dies down because I did enjoy the salads and the pizza.
The night before we went the second time I had just finished the book, "Life, Death and Bialys" by local author Dylan Schaffer. I still had the story and his face burned into my mind when I saw him just in front of me in the huddle waiting to get in the restaurant. I spoke to him briefly since I really enjoyed the book and since I used to be a baker. He was lovely and I was reminded why I like the Bay Area so much - it seems every other person has written a book or play or blows trombone in 3 bands or has some other fantastic talent.
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Chef Charlie Halliwell is one of the many Chez Panisse alumns opening restaurants around the Bay Area, and his Pizzaiolo in Oakland's Temescal District has quickly became a local favorite. After heaping tons of praise on L.A.'s Pizzeria Mozza and Larkspur's Pizzeria Picco for their amazing wood-fired pizzas, I thought I should pay Pizzaiolo a visit since it's much closer to home. Pizzaiolo has received its share of rave reviews, including a nod from San Francisco Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer and mentions in Food and Wine and Cond Nast Traveler.
Pizzaiolo is committed to supporting locally grown, seasonal, and organic meat and produce, so the menu changes daily based on what's available. We decided to split an appetizer, a pasta dish and two pizzas for our party of three.
We started off with an order Il Fortetto Buratta di Bufala, which was served on toast with olive oil and sea salt. The burrata wasn't as smooth as the burrata they serve at Mozza, but it was still delicious, and I really loved the toast.
Our primi was the potato gnocchi with braised lamb ragu. The gnocchi was light and fluffy, the lamb was tender and the ragu was smooth and rich. This was by far the best dish of the night, and I'd love to curl up with a big bowl of this on a cold winter's night.
The Long-cooked Greens and Sausage Pizza was the first to arrive and it was okay. I thought the sausage was a little bland, especially when compared to the strong fennel flavor in the sausage served at Mozza or Picco. The crust was really good though...crispy in the right places and it had a really nice bite to it
The next pizza, a Pizza Margherita with anchovies and an egg was really good. The tomato sauce was really vibrant and fresh, and I loved the salty kick from the anchovies. Unfortunately, there was only one egg on the pizza (you can also add an egg to any pizza for $2), and we didn't want to break the egg and spread its yolky goodness. Luckily, I got to eat most of the egg, including the yolk, and it was great. Egg on pizza is something everyone should try if they get a chance. (Come to think of it, a nice egg can enhance almost any dish -- burgers, fried rice, lomo saltado.)
If you don't have a reservation, you're likely in store for a lengthy wait during peak dining hours. They take reservations as far back as a month, but I called about 5 days ahead and got a reservation for 7:30pm on a Saturday. If you encounter a long wait, and you're there before 7pm, I'd suggest walking to the end of the block to Bakesale Betty for a snack if you need something to tide you over.
While Pizzaiolo didn't surpass Picco or Mozza in the pizza department in my book, it's still a great pizza. If their other pastas are as good as the gnocchi with lamb ragu, then I'm definitely going back for more. Plus, I hear their fried chicken is to die for...
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This place is your average Bay Area, pretentious, pricey, wanna be, I'm cool because I'm eating here establishment. Even the secret meatball dish, which was pretty darn good, wouldn't bring me back here. The food wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the best I've ever had. The service, on the other hand, was terrible. The next time I shuck out $200 for a couple of pizzas and a few yummy meatballs, I'm gonna make sure I'm in a restaurant that knows how to treat their patrons.
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Chez Panisse alum.
Whenever I see that in a review or article about a restaurant I wonder what that means. Did they work there for a year, 10 years, 15 years. . did they absorb Alice Waters' unique palate and food ideas by osmosis? I once made out with the guy who made pizzas in the Cafe AND I did a short externship downstairs when I got out of cooking school. . does that make me an alum? If so, should I open a restaurant? Probably not. In this case, Charlie Hallowell, a bonafide C.P. alum learned how to take a great ingredient and keep it simple.
I went to Pizzaiolo when it first opened. The food was good, the service was a nightmare and I vowed never to return. Until they did a benefit for the gulf coast shrimp boats. All you could eat shrimp AND benefit for those that were struggling in the wake of Hurricane Katrina? Win-win and the people who worked at the benefit were all lovely. . even when they were deep in the weeds, everyone was so nice.
Then I kept reading about the fried chicken there. I am a straight up 'ho for good fried chicken and will endure almost anything - even snotty service to enjoy it. Well, five year old Pizzaiolo is vastly different now then the first time I went. The service is much better (thank you, Megan!) and the food is insanely good.
The atmosphere of Pizzaiolo is very casual. As you walk in there is a main dining room with a bar towards the front, the line and wood oven towards that back and then through another doorway is another dining room. We sat at a table right in front of the line, which is distracting for me. . as my dining companion was talking I was paying attention to the guys stretching pizza dough, the servers scooping ice cream (and I was noting that there was no hand washing before food plating - YIPES!), etc. I will sit in the back dining room later so I can focus on my company and not the line.
Pizzaiolo is a small plates restaurant without admitting it. You get a share plate. You get food that comes out somewhat randomly (although the server did ask how I wanted it to come out) and a lot of it is meant to be shared. We started with a couple of house cocktails that were a'ight. . .someone at the bar likes amari -bitter drinks. . .campari, aperol, grapefruit. . nothing too sweet. . lots of bitter notes.
We ordered a lovely spaghetti with fava beans, mint and ricotta; meatballs, fried chicken and a pizza. We got the meatballs first. Four medium sized meatballs studded with pine nuts and teeny tiny capers. I was dismayed at first because those two ingredients are my least favorite. However, the balance of the meat and the sauce and the grilled bread was perfect. Really amazing dish - I wished for more bread to sop up the incredible sauce. The pasta was wonderful. . .simple, summery and balanced. A little on the oily side but still sublime. The chicken came next. A large (think the Pamela Anderson of chicken breasts) breast, fried to bronzed perfection sitting on a bed of chickpeas and braised kale. I was surprised that is was just a boneless breast of chicken but one bite and I was sold. Amazingly juicy, shatteringly crunchy, tender and flavorful. They add a chili oil that makes the dish . . just enough kick to offset any richness from the fry. . .but the true triumph is the crispiness. This is the best fried chicken I have had in a long time - it trumps the vaunted Ad Hoc chicken by a mile. Yep, I said it. Charlie's Chicken. . .new restaurant for Mr. Hallowell. I'd be there daily. Ironically, the rapini and house made sausage pizza was my least favorite dish. . a little too charred on the bottom and just kind of blah. . Although the sausage is wonderful.
Next came desserts. Mr. Hallowell recently ran a Craigslist ad looking for a new pastry chef. I wish I had saved a copy of the ad because it was so adorable and heartfelt that if I didn't love my job so much I'd have quit and begged to work there because I loved the ad so much. Whoever he hired, he got really lucky. Great, great, great desserts. Simple, somewhat rustic but really well made. It was one of those menus where you just want to order EVERYTHING. Noyau Panna Cotta, Lemon-Fennel Ice Cream, Torta della Nonna. .. YUM. Utterly seasonal. .. totally delicious.
When we got our bill, we decided to change the name of the restaurant to Pricieiolo. .. YIKES. . but oh well - it was a lovely evening filled with lovely food, good company and great service.
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OK, Very fine food, especially the fried chicken, but somebody's got to say it: they set the level of the music--usually city blues--to "just above" the crowd noise. Of course, the crowd competes with the music, the waiter-artiste who programs it turns it up to be "just above" the crowd noise, and you have a vicious cycle. I like rock and blues a lot, but not necessarily at a volume that interferes with my conversation and, most importantly, with the taste of the food.
Imagine you are listening to some of the worst of Etta James (I know, she has some great stuff), that get louder as the evening wears on, and you mention it to the supercilious waiter-artiste, and he proceeds to argue (!) with you about the "tone" they are trying to set at the restaurant. Fun.
I think Charlie is a terrific chef (and owner), but he is also an "artist," not a craftsman and, thus, doesn't really care about your suffering through the noise to enjoy his food. He seems only to care about what the food he creates. That's fine in a painter, but a chef really is, at best, a craftsman and that's a fine thing to aspire to.
I returned from China yesterday and my husband and daughter took me out for my favorite meal ... pizza, salad and red wine.
We went to Pizzaiolo since it is close to home and they make a fine pizza.
We arrived right at 5:30 and we were second in line. We were seated at the table for four near the window. We were off to a great start ... no wait and a fantastic table.
Within minutes we had water and bread.
Our server came and introduced herself and took our order. I recognized her as a server from Chez Panisse Cafe and she is excellent. She is a star worthy of 5 stars herself.
We ordered the little gem salad with beets. It was great! I loved the green goddess dressing and the beets were perfect. For the price, it may have been nice to have a few more gems.
We also had the asparagus salad with ricotta. It was a perfect portion and the flavors were terrific.
Next came two pizzas for us to share. My husband ordered the pizza with greens and no sauce. He liked it a lot.
I ordered the pizza margarita.
The pizza crust was great around the outside but the inside was kind of moist and mushy. It did not stand up on its own like a great crust should. The flavors were good but not outstanding like Dopo or Garibaldi's.
Overall, I think our experience was five stars and our pizza was 4 stars. Since they are famous for their pizza they receive a 4 star review.
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The place to be for wannabe Oakland posers flashing bad sports coats,iphones and blackberrys. While your waiting 2 hours for your table why dont you call Dominos and ask them to deliver? Its probably better. I'd rather wait at the mall CPK than here and thats saying allot (read my damn reviews)
So, on to the food, I mean cardboard with sauce and the spice rack, I mean ingredients. You can put lipstick on a pig and call it sexy, but you cant with Pizza. Nuff said. Get out of line, after you have had your pizza delivered and walk over to Dona Tomas, watch out for the drive bys :-0) after dark.
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Despite its rough reputation, Oakland offers many gems, such as the patch of restaurants on Telegraph just south of 51st Ave. Pizzaiolo is definitely responsible for the burgeoning restaurant scene here, thanks to Chef/Owner Charlie Hallowell, formerly of Chez Panisse.
Food: 4 stars. Pizzaiolo, not surprisingly, is definitely known for its crispy thin wood-fired pizzas. My favorites include the delicious margherita pizza, and rapini and housemade sausage pizza which has a nice little kick. The new potatoes, pancetta, fontina and rosemary pizza seemed to lack a little flavor, though. For entrees, the farro with North Carolina white shrimp, English peas, green garlic and spring onions is light and healthy, but seemed a little dry. The meatballs al Pizzaiolo were the highlight of the evening - it's a simple dish that's just packed with robust flavor. For dessert, the lemon mascarpone tart with Lucero Farm strawberries rocks.
Service: 5 stars. Service was professional and smooth throughout the night. Our server was helpful and spot on with the menu recommendations and anticipated our needs at the right times.
Atmosphere: 4 stars. The simple, lively atmosphere is peppered with a generally good looking crowd, comprised of 20-somethings and families. The one complaint I would have would be the restroom on the right hand side, which has a tricky lock that I wasn't able to figure out. Other customers couldn't figure it out as well, as I learned the hard way.
Hits: Margherita pizza, rapini & housemade sausage pizza, meatballs al Pizzaiolo, lemon mascarpone tart with Lucero Farm strawberries.
Misses: Restrooms without proper locks.
If You Like This Place, You'd Probably Like: Pizza Antica, Dopo, Chez Panisse Cafe, A16, Pauline's Pizza
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Foods OK, but Dopo's 10x better. Service was really bad 2 out of the 3 visits. I feel like for as long as they've been open, it shouldn't suck so bad. Took a long time to be greeted, took 2x longer to get a drink from the surly bartender, 86'd food and wrong food came to table...come on. Just not worth it.
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Don't even think about just hangin' here to have a cocktail; you'll be booted out the door... or better yet, told to stand in the corner so that diners can sit and order a meal at the bar. While the pizza a good, I'd rather have good service and attitude to go along with it...
IN OTHER WORDS, CROSS THE STREET AND GO TO "LANE SPLITTER" and enjoy yourself.
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Is it the nice crowd in front? the food, the drink? Maybe it's the communal table in the back. All good reasons go to this nice neighborhood restaurant, a chez panisse spinoff, I'm told.
What did we have there recently... endive, fennel, lime, cod ceviche- delish. Nice simple pizza (margarita). Even on a Thurs night, my friend and I got a place to sit at the communal table in the back around 7pm, no waiting (where there was a mom with her 2 school-aged kids, a single woman reading a magazine with her meal, several couples.)
I'll surely return.
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I came here on the recommendation of my boss, and really, if the boss says you should go, you go, right? But being a veggie, and seeing the big cooler in the back with hanging meat, I got a little wary... But no fear, here! Had a lovely salad of shaved artichokes, fennel, lemon, and grana, and boy was it fresh, light, and delish. My pizza of choice featured wild nettles and onions, and i was floored! Flavorful, well spiced, and no sauce, too. Yum! For dessert, my date and I had the cherry ice cream with profiteroles and chocolate sauce- mmm. I went home happy, and if I could, I'd give my boss a raise. The only downside was that by 7pm, they were swamped and it took quite a long time for us to get the bill. Oh, and we had a little tough time find enough veggie items to really feel like we were making a choice. But still, I'll be back!
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What a great place! And is it just us or does it seem that everyone in Oakland is super friendly and relaxed! How nice.
We went to Pizzaiolo on Saturday night with my husbands parents. It was a gorgeous evening and at 6pm there were already 2 couples waiting outside. We had reservations and were able to get right in.
The space is large and open, there is a nice bar (that serves some really interesting cocktails- I had the Monk's Garden very grapefruity!), the tables have dark wood tops, and the restaurant continues back to another room with a large communal table and there is even an outside patio too! So the place is pretty big and the environment is both natural and modernish. We liked the jugs around the front room where we were sitting that were filled with fermenting lemons for their own limoncello!
The menu is fairly simple with many great choices of salads, appetizers, meats and of course PIZZA! They serve great fresh bread and butter when you sit, go ahead carbs taste good!
We shared everything family style and decided on a Faro salad with beets, peas and red onion. This was warm, nutty, fresh and a great healthy starter.
Next we shared the grilled squid, and these were outstanding. Perfectly cooked, and had the most delicious carmelization on the outside!
After eating both we absolutely wanted to order more, but I'm glad we didn't because we were able to really enjoy the rest of our food with out feeling too stuffed!
Our pizza's were pretty simple, a margarita pizza, and another with sausage. We are getting ready for a trip to Italy, and this is perfect wood burning oven Napolese style pizza! Yummy. The crust is paper thin, the flavors were great and the four of us ate all of the two pizza's and still had room for dessert!
And dessert's were a real treat too! Nonna's almond torte, Chocolate-orange cake, creme carmel and an affagato with espresso! These didn't stand a chance! We did share these too, but just a bite!
By the end of the meal we were full, but not grossly stuffed, very happy, and very complimentary of Pizzaiolo! The scene is very diverse, as the music started to pick up we didn't mind, it is all part of the lively experience.
We were on our way to the Paramount theater for a show which is only about 2 miles down the street! This eatery is a great way to start an evening. If you are coming over here for a foodie exploration the restaurant is located along a nice street of shops, cafes and bars!
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I had been looking forward to visiting the oh-so-highly regarded Pizzaiolo for quite some time. I arrived right after opening mid-week, anticipating that the place would fill up immediately and indeed it did. The wait staff were attentive and professional, ensuring that I had wine, water and bread while waiting for my date to arrive. The ambiance was equally as lovely - casual and comfortable and warm. The food was as good as promised and I am still dreaming about the baby gem lettuce Caesar salad I had...truly the best Caesar I have ever had in my life. The pizza was yummy, too. In fact, it would have been an overall great evening and 5 star meal if my date hadn't announced upon arrival that the last time he was there he got into a huge fight with his ex. Sadly, that kind of put a damper on the whole experience. Oh well.
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Simple yummy food at decent prices and good service though the bar maid was a bit grumpy...but then again, so am I. We sat at the bar and it was comfortable and i love when bars have hooks under the bar to hang your coat or purse on...the wait was a little long, but that was remedied by margarita's at nearby dona tomas!